Imprisoned Labour Activist Jafar Azimzadeh Still on Hunger Strike after Two Months

A recent photo of Jafar Azimzadeh in the hospital. The prominent labour activist has experienced rapid weight loss since the start of his hunger strike two months ago.

Persian2English – Jafar Azimzadeh has reportedly been on hunger strike since April 30, 2016. Azimzadeh and labor activist Esmail Abdi both launched hunger strikes on the same day to: demand an end to the Iranian authorities’ treatment of peaceful social protests as security issues, and demand the Iranian authorities remove the charge of “gathering and colluding against national security” from the open case files of all protesting workers, teachers, and unionists. Esmail Abdi was released from prison last month on bail while Jafar Azimzadeh continues his hunger strike.

Azimzadeh is a prominent labor activist and president of the Free Union of Workers of Iran. He is sentenced to six years in prison for his peaceful activism.

Upon Abdi’s release, Azimzadeh released an open letter from prison announcing that he plans to continue his hunger strike. “The release of Esmail Abdi can’t be used by Iranian authorities to claim that the demands of millions of workers and teachers are being addressed…Therefore…I will continue with my indefinite hunger strike that I began on April 30,” writes Azimzadeh.

According to confirmed sources, five prisoners of conscience in Iran started a hunger strike on Tuesday June 28, 2016 in solidarity with Jafar Azimzadeh: Arash Sadeghi, Ali (Amir) Amirgholi, Behnam Moosivand, Vahid Sayadi, and Saeed Shirzad.

On June 18th Azimzadeh was transferred from Tehran’s Evin Prison to Sina hospital after his health began to rapidly deteriorate from almost two months of hunger strike. On June 27th, Azimzadeh reportedly lost consciousness in the hospital for a few hours due to severe weakness of his body. The imprisoned labor activist has reportedly contracted a severe pain in his stomach area and his family is worried that it could lead to intestinal failure.

Jafar Azimzadeh before and after hunger strike.

Prior to his transfer to the hospital, Azimzadeh was being held in a ward in Evin Prison typically reserved for individuals with serious criminal offenses such as robbery, embezzlement and fraud.

According to close sources, Tehran’s Prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, who recently agreed to meet with Azimzadeh’s wife regarding her concerns for her husband’s deteriorating heath, told her: “I will do nothing for Jafar Azimzadeh, even if he dies.”

In May 2016 Canadian Senator Percy Mockler delivered a speech in Canada’s senate chambers in solidarity with imprisoned labour activists in Iran, including Jafar Azimzadeh. Read his speech here.

Jafar Azimzadeh was arrested by Iranian authorities on April 30 2014, a day before International Workers Day. He endured more than one month in solitary confinement before he was released on bail. In March 2015, the corrupt judge known as Salavati sentenced Azimzadeh to six years in prison for “gathering and colluding against national security” and “propaganda against the system.” Iranian authorities arrested Azimzadeh again in November 2015 and he has been held in Evin Prison since then.